Posts Tagged ‘roaster’

I’ve been a coffee freak for a lot of years and I have a pretty sophisticated palate.

I’m no Ernesto Illy, Alfred Peet, Mauro Cipolla or Michael Baccellieri, but I know good crema when I taste it and I love good espresso.

I really love it.

With a good bean and a savvy barista behind the counter, I always drink doppios. But I watch the ‘pour’ a few times and listen before I order (in a place where I haven’t been before). And I don’t add a sugar cube the way the Italians do, I add a dash of creme in the center of the 2 shots – and drink it quickly while it’s still hot.

A really good espresso always makes me wish I had a 3 or 4" reach with my tongue so I could lick the entire contents out of the those little ceramic espresso cups – because lots of the good tasting stuff sticks to the cup.

One of my regular customers – a meat cutter from Sam’s club – used to come in and ask for, "the chewy one" – and I would make it for him just the way I liked it best.

When I had my espresso shop I got so I could indentify several of the varietals in the custom blend that I had roasted by Cafe Appassionato in Seattle. I worked closely to develop the "Morning Shot Blend" with the sales rep from the company, a guy name Dan – who was the epitome of customer service, courtesy and a fantastic relationship builder – in concert with their roaster. We worked hard tweaking the blend, adding a higher percentage of Zimbabwes for sweetness, a touch more brazils and some Costa Rican and Sumatra for the "dry white" finish of a northern European roast. (There were also Columbian Supremo beans for a rich flavor.)

In retrospect – we were all "green" – but over a year, we came up with a signature blend that was well received by the clinetele.

Why a Northern European roast and not a "full city roast"?

Basically, I wanted to be different and create a signature flavor.

Initially, I was trying to come up with something similar to match my favorite blend in Seattle when I first got there in 1990, Torrefazione’s "Perugia Blend". I loved Perugia and when I started my shop, I called the company at least 4 times to get a sales rep to come out and they never called me back.

Too small potatoes in the beginning, I guess. I held a grudge on that one for a while. As it turned out, Torrefazione (the real brains behind it and the guy who knew how to roast better than anybody else in the that company – Umberto) sold out and the quality took a nose dive soon thereafter.

The other roaster I wanted was Cafe Mauro (which became Cafe D’Arte) but they couldn’t sell to me because my competitor across the street used their coffee – and he was good customer.

Mauro Cipolla has one of the best palates in Seattle, by the way. He is a master at coffee. I know his cousin Gianni pretty well who is also in the business.

So what does this have to do with Boca Java?

I saw a promo they have going this month and thought I would pass it on to you guys and see what you think. I emailed the company when I first connected with them online as a referral agent to see if they would send me some samples of coffee so I could evaluate for myself and write about the products.

They "don’t have samples" for vendors. So I haven’t tried their coffee yet.

They are offering 4 bags of coffee for $8.95 as a promo. I’m not sure what types of coffee they are or if they’re any good or not.

But there are several things going for this company I do like:

The "5 Million Cup Program" for our people in the military in Iraq. That’s a cool thing.

They roast fresh with each order. I like fresh coffee.

Their online communication and customer service is the best I have ever experienced and I do a lot online.

Is there coffee any good?

You tell me. For $8.95 it’s worth a shot to try four coffees.

Here’s my promise to you guys…

Whatever the general consensus is from you readers will determine if I continue as a vendor or not, and I will report accurately what the results are.

And I don’t want a bunch of people slamming these guys without trying the samples first. If it’s good coffee, I’ll sell it, if not, I won’t.

You make the call.

You tell me: Is Boca Java is Really Good Coffee? or not.

P.S. I got an email back from Chris at Boca Java and he said that each bag (in the promo 4pack) is 8 oz and there are a variety of coffees the customer can choose from. On tha basis, $8.95 to try out 2 lbs of fresh roasted coffee seems like a great offer and a real attempt by the roaster to get people to try the coffee.

I’ve been a coffee freak for a lot of years and I have a pretty sophisticated palate.

I’m no Ernesto Illy, Alfred Peet, Mauro Cipolla or Michael Baccellieri, but I know good crema when I taste it and I love good espresso.

I really love it.

With a good bean and a savvy barista behind the counter, I always drink doppios. But I watch the ‘pour’ a few times and listen before I order (in a place where I haven’t been before). And I don’t add a sugar cube the way the Italians do, I add a dash of creme in the center of the 2 shots – and drink it quickly while it’s still hot.

A really good espresso always makes me wish I had a 3 or 4" reach with my tongue so I could lick the entire contents out of the those little ceramic espresso cups – because lots of the good tasting stuff sticks to the cup.

One of my regular customers – a meat cutter from Sam’s club – used to come in and ask for, "the chewy one" – and I would make it for him just the way I liked it best.

When I had my espresso shop I got so I could indentify several of the varietals in the custom blend that I had roasted by Cafe Appassionato in Seattle. I worked closely to develop the "Morning Shot Blend" with the sales rep from the company, a guy name Dan – who was the epitome of customer service, courtesy and a fantastic relationship builder – in concert with their roaster. We worked hard tweaking the blend, adding a higher percentage of Zimbabwes for sweetness, a touch more brazils and some Costa Rican and Sumatra for the "dry white" finish of a northern European roast. (There were also Columbian Supremo beans for a rich flavor.)

In retrospect – we were all "green" – but over a year, we came up with a signature blend that was well received by the clinetele.

Why a Northern European roast and not a "full city roast"?

Basically, I wanted to be different and create a signature flavor.

Initially, I was trying to come up with something similar to match my favorite blend in Seattle when I first got there in 1990, Torrefazione’s "Perugia Blend". I loved Perugia and when I started my shop, I called the company at least 4 times to get a sales rep to come out and they never called me back.

Too small potatoes in the beginning, I guess. I held a grudge on that one for a while. As it turned out, Torrefazione (the real brains behind it and the guy who knew how to roast better than anybody else in the that company – Umberto) sold out and the quality took a nose dive soon thereafter.

The other roaster I wanted was Cafe Mauro (which became Cafe D’Arte) but they couldn’t sell to me because my competitor across the street used their coffee – and he was good customer.

Mauro Cipolla has one of the best palates in Seattle, by the way. He is a master at coffee. I know his cousin Gianni pretty well who is also in the business.

So what does this have to do with Boca Java?

I saw a promo they have going this month and thought I would pass it on to you guys and see what you think. I emailed the company when I first connected with them online as a referral agent to see if they would send me some samples of coffee so I could evaluate for myself and write about the products.

They "don’t have samples" for vendors. So I haven’t tried their coffee yet.

They are offering 4 bags of coffee for $8.95 as a promo. I’m not sure what types of coffee they are or if they’re any good or not.

But there are several things going for this company I do like:

The "5 Million Cup Program" for our people in the military in Iraq. That’s a cool thing.

They roast fresh with each order. I like fresh coffee.

Their online communication and customer service is the best I have ever experienced and I do a lot online.

Is there coffee any good?

You tell me. For $8.95 it’s worth a shot to try four coffees.

Here’s my promise to you guys…

Whatever the general consensus is from you readers will determine if I continue as a vendor or not, and I will report accurately what the results are.

And I don’t want a bunch of people slamming these guys without trying the samples first. If it’s good coffee, I’ll sell it, if not, I won’t.

You make the call.

You tell me: Is Boca Java is Really Good Coffee? or not.

P.S. I got an email back from Chris at Boca Java and he said that each bag (in the promo 4pack) is 8 oz and there are a variety of coffees the customer can choose from. On tha basis, $8.95 to try out 2 lbs of fresh roasted coffee seems like a great offer and a real attempt by the roaster to get people to try the coffee.

Actually, this website is one of those warm and fuzzy projects I’ve had in mind for years because I love really good coffee and have since 1966.

In the 90’s, I was co-owner of a little espresso shop called The Morning Shot for 3.5 years in Seattle. That experience taught me a lot about the specialty coffee business and espresso. We also had an espresso cart at two different locations.

After the sale of the shop, I pioneered Oscar’s syrups and the Cappucine line in the Seattle market as a broker – calling on espresso operators to drive distributor business.

Peets Was a Very Good Business Model

Prior to that, my interest in the specialty coffee business was prompted by a 1988 article in Fortune or Forbes (can’t remember which). As I sat in front of the Peets Coffee (across the street from the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California), drinking a cup of Joe from Peets, I read that in 1987 Peets had been the most profitable retail operation in the United States – on a

[ $ / square foot ] basis. That really got my attention.

In 1990, I began researching the espresso business in earnest and creating a business plan. And believe me, I did my homework. In addition, as a retail owner in the business (and later a broker) I got to know a lot of other operators and vendors in the business – primarily Micro Roasters and independents.

Over the course of thousands of hours on the espresso bar – with diligence as well as trial and error – I figured out how to make really good coffee. But not before chasing a lot of good customers away with bad coffee – first.

There’s a lot that goes into producing a good cup.

Of course the blend and the roaster is where it all starts.

But it’s amazing how many "espresso operators" can take a perfectly good bean and ruin it. This isn’t really a reflection on the people personally – and most of them really want to do a good job – like I did. But the difference is that I stuck with it until I figured it out. Lots of operators just don’t have a clue and the simplest way to verify that statement is to taste their coffee.

Today, I can tell what’s going on in an espresso shop about 2 minutes after I walk in the place.

Trial by Fire

As an espresso bar owner – on the commuter flight path into downtown Seattle during rush hour – I learned how to survive first and then thrive in a highly competitive market. The pinnacle accomplishment of The Morning Shot was being written up with a full page in the Sunday Seattle Times Pacific Magazine by the food critic, John Hinterberger.

BTW, a lot of the accolades go to my co-owner, a classically trained French chef, an incredibly hard worker, an all around fantastic lady and my best friend for 15 years, Lori Taylor. Her culinary expertise, hard work and exceptional customer service skills made the place what is was – day after day.

But I was the coffee guy…

The espresso business, by the way, is a blast. I’ve often said it has all of the best elements of owning a bar without the drunks.

Over the course of 3+ years, 6 days a week, 10-14 hours a day working on the espresso bar, I learned a lot about:

people

how to make really good coffee

how people think about coffee

perceived value

My intention is to create a really interesting blog and to inform people in a manner that appeals to the intellect. There are a thousand and one stories that I can tell as I dust off the mental archives and tell my espresso story.

And we’ll be reporting live from around the country (in our travels) about:

neat little places we find and

things we learn about coffee along the way

We’d love to get your feedback and we’d love to be know it if we make a mistake. My other half, Alexandra – the love of my life – is my co-author. She has risen rapidly from the ranks of a Dunkin Donuts coffee fan to a quasi-virtual coffee snob, in a mere two years (under my tutelage).

Besides that, she can write.

Together, with your feedback and participation, we are going to create a great blog and resource.

Actually, this website is one of those warm and fuzzy projects I’ve had in mind for years because I love really good coffee and have since 1966.

In the 90’s, I was co-owner of a little espresso shop called The Morning Shot for 3.5 years in Seattle. That experience taught me a lot about the specialty coffee business and espresso. We also had an espresso cart at two different locations.

After the sale of the shop, I pioneered Oscar’s syrups and the Cappucine line in the Seattle market as a broker – calling on espresso operators to drive distributor business.

Peets Was a Very Good Business Model

Prior to that, my interest in the specialty coffee business was prompted by a 1988 article in Fortune or Forbes (can’t remember which). As I sat in front of the Peets Coffee (across the street from the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California), drinking a cup of Joe from Peets, I read that in 1987 Peets had been the most profitable retail operation in the United States – on a

[ $ / square foot ] basis. That really got my attention.

In 1990, I began researching the espresso business in earnest and creating a business plan. And believe me, I did my homework. In addition, as a retail owner in the business (and later a broker) I got to know a lot of other operators and vendors in the business – primarily Micro Roasters and independents.

Over the course of thousands of hours on the espresso bar – with diligence as well as trial and error – I figured out how to make really good coffee. But not before chasing a lot of good customers away with bad coffee – first.

There’s a lot that goes into producing a good cup.

Of course the blend and the roaster is where it all starts.

But it’s amazing how many "espresso operators" can take a perfectly good bean and ruin it. This isn’t really a reflection on the people personally – and most of them really want to do a good job – like I did. But the difference is that I stuck with it until I figured it out. Lots of operators just don’t have a clue and the simplest way to verify that statement is to taste their coffee.

Today, I can tell what’s going on in an espresso shop about 2 minutes after I walk in the place.

Trial by Fire

As an espresso bar owner – on the commuter flight path into downtown Seattle during rush hour – I learned how to survive first and then thrive in a highly competitive market. The pinnacle accomplishment of The Morning Shot was being written up with a full page in the Sunday Seattle Times Pacific Magazine by the food critic, John Hinterberger.

BTW, a lot of the accolades go to my co-owner, a classically trained French chef, an incredibly hard worker, an all around fantastic lady and my best friend for 15 years, Lori Taylor. Her culinary expertise, hard work and exceptional customer service skills made the place what is was – day after day.

But I was the coffee guy…

The espresso business, by the way, is a blast. I’ve often said it has all of the best elements of owning a bar without the drunks.

Over the course of 3+ years, 6 days a week, 10-14 hours a day working on the espresso bar, I learned a lot about:

people

how to make really good coffee

how people think about coffee

perceived value

My intention is to create a really interesting blog and to inform people in a manner that appeals to the intellect. There are a thousand and one stories that I can tell as I dust off the mental archives and tell my espresso story.

And we’ll be reporting live from around the country (in our travels) about:

neat little places we find and

things we learn about coffee along the way

We’d love to get your feedback and we’d love to be know it if we make a mistake. My other half, Alexandra – the love of my life – is my co-author. She has risen rapidly from the ranks of a Dunkin Donuts coffee fan to a quasi-virtual coffee snob, in a mere two years (under my tutelage).

Besides that, she can write.

Together, with your feedback and participation, we are going to create a great blog and resource.